Vehicles are increasingly being used by individuals and organizations for a wide variety of reasons. In addition to the increase in the number and types of vehicles being used, the number of shared spaces and travelways has also increased, both because of said increase in numbers and because travelways which were originally intended for certain types of vehicles are now being used by people and/or many different vehicle types. Further, people, animals and vehicles that share such spaces have many different attributes including conspicuousness, visibility to others, rate of travel, vantage point, profile, size and weight, to name a very few.
For example, an increasing number of vehicles, including bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trailers, strollers, trucks, buses, trolleys, and other vehicles are being used on roads or other spaces which were originally intended primarily for larger vehicles. As such, the risk of accidents has increased considerably.
In addition, this wide variety of different types of vehicles has also led to different risk factors. These factors include differences in speed, visibility to others, capability of seeing others because of different vantage points and/or fewer windows and mirrors, and difficulties for operators in judging the size of their own or other vehicles. The number of shared spaces in which vehicles are used has also increased. As well as roads and highways, waterways, airspace, recreational space, and many other spaces in which vehicles and people travel are typically experiencing a higher volume of traffic along with a greater variety of the types of vehicles being used.
There are many reasons that cause and exacerbate accidents, including, for example, the operator of a vehicle may not see another vehicle until it is too late to avoid the accident. Other reasons may result from the fact that some vehicles often present a much lower profile which is not able to be seen over features of larger vehicles or obstacles. In addition, there is often a significant difference in the rate of travel between different vehicles, people and animals that may exacerbate this problem. For example, a passing automobile may not have a chance to identify a cyclist until the last moment when it may be too late to take action to avoid a collision.
Another related cause of such accidents is the lack of adequate lighting systems on vehicles. In contrast to larger and more established modes of motorized transportation, many smaller vehicles, such as bicycles, strollers, bicycle trailers, and even some types of motorcycles, are sold with no or inadequate lighting equipment included. While the after-market provides many types of battery or generator powered lights for people, animals and vehicles, such lights often fail to be seen until too late and often do little to adequately indicate position or a safe distance from the person, vehicle, or animal that must be maintained. Light reflectors may also be used in lieu of such lights to indicate presence. Such reflectors, however, are dependent on the brightness of the light used by the approaching vehicle and the direction of travel thereof. In any event, such lights and reflectors have limited effectiveness during hours of daylight or in certain weather conditions.
Another problem resulting from the wide variety of vehicles being used on a wide variety of spaces, is that a safe distance between vehicles is often difficult to judge even when the presence and location of another vehicle is known. Operators of vehicles may simply not be aware of how close they may be to other persons or vehicles when they pass near them. Furthermore, it may often be difficult for a person to be aware of this space around their own vehicle if the vehicle itself, or a portion thereof, is not in their line of sight. For example, a bicycle or car on the opposite side of the corner of a building, or a golf cart on a green below a hill, will not be visible to others before they proceed around the corner or over the hill and/or direct other objects around the corner or over the hill (e.g., golf ball).
In many cases, there is a tendency for other vehicles and/or objects to be allowed to approach too close to another vehicle or person when passing nearby or otherwise entering the space thereof. This may result in an increase of anxiety for a person or operator of the vehicle, which may cause the operator to stop or change directions suddenly, or it may even result in contact with the vehicle. For example, some jurisdictions have enacted a ‘3 foot rule’ intended to ensure that passing motorized vehicles do not come too close to a bicycle when they share the same road. Such laws indicate the need for providing space around vehicles.
While horizontally oriented flags from bicycles are known in the art and, which encourage drivers of vehicles to provide more space, they suffer from the same shortcomings identified above. In addition, they fail to be adaptable to different types of vehicles in different circumstances. For example, they typically only operate in a single direction (usually to the left-hand side of a bicycle) and are not intended to be moved between locations on the vehicle. They would also have little effect when used on larger vehicles, or ones that are farther away. In addition, when there is an obstacle for viewing the vehicle itself (i.e. other vehicles or features of landscape like hills or trees), the flag fails to indicate to others the presence or safe approach zone available. Furthermore, it does not resolve issues at night or in poor conditions of visibility.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for defining a safety zone of a vehicle.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the Applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.